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| Sunday, 17 October 2004 |
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India's ruling Congress ahead in Maharashtra BOMBAY, (AFP) India's ruling Congress party and its regional ally were leading in the polls in the country's richest state Maharashtra after counting began early Saturday, a top election official said. Early voting trends showed the Congress and its National Congress Party (NCP) ally leading in 93 of the 288 constituencies. The hardline Hindu alliance of Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were ahead in 69 constituencies. Other regional parties and independents were leading in 26 assembly electorates. "We expect most of the results to be out by today afternoon," said Maharashtra chief electoral officer U.P.S. Madan. Analysts have predicted a knife-edge finish to the polls, which is seen as the first verdict on the popularity of the new Congress government. Maharashtra, India's most industrialised state and home to Bombay, the nation's financial and entertainment capital, is a sought-after political plum. Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who led the party to its national win, is keen to show its May victor was not a fluke. For the Bharatiya Janata Party, victory in the state would be a powerful morale booster as it is still smarting from its shock national defeat by Congress, which styles itself as champion of India's secular identity. More than 2,600 candidates were in the fray for 288 seats in India's second most populous state, which has nearly 100 million people. The winning political party or alliance must win at least 145 of the 288 assembly seats to form the state government. |
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